A record-breaker chasing new territory
Kipyegon is no stranger to erasing what others considered permanent. She is the only woman to win three Olympic 1500m titles, claiming gold at Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, and Paris 2024.
She has matched that feat with three world titles at the same distance, added another in the 5000m, and holds the current world records for both the 1500m and the mile. For a brief period in 2023, she also owned the 5000m world record, but lost it to Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay a few months later. Her compatriot Chebet claimed the most recent record in 2025.
Kipyegon’s form in 2025 has been exceptional. In June, she ran the fastest mile in history, albeit in an exhibition event that could not be ratified. In July, she returned to Eugene to lower her own 1500m world record to 3:48.68, the third time she has rewritten that mark.
The race bore all her trademarks: patience through the early laps, then an unanswerable kick that broke the field apart. In addition to being the only time under 3:49, Kipyegon currently holds five of the ten fastest times ever run in the event.
The 3000m, however, is not an extension of the 1500m. It demands a delicate balance between speed and endurance, with little margin for error in pacing, not to mention the tactics that come with any middle-distance race.
Kipyegon’s current personal best in the 3000m is 8:23.55, which was set in 2014 at the age of 20. Since then, she has matured into a more complete athlete, as well as a three-time Olympic champion and multiple-time world record breaker.